


Together We're Fantastic

by Nerdy_fangirl_57



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Laura, Alternate Universe - 1920s, BAMF Stiles, Derek is part of the Ministry of Magic, Fantastic Beasts AU, Getting Together, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Magizoologist Stiles Stilinski, Mates, New York City, Oblivious Derek, Oblivious Stiles, POV Alternating, Protective Derek, Sterek Reverse Bang 2017, Teen Wolf Werewolves not Harry Potter Werewolves, Werewolf Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-11 08:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11145060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdy_fangirl_57/pseuds/Nerdy_fangirl_57
Summary: Stiles Stilinski arrived in New York to give a presentation on the wonders of the numerous fascinating creatures he encounters in his line of work. Despite many people fearing these extraordinary beasts due to their large size and power, Stiles was only ever enamored with these misunderstood animals and wants to do everything in his power to educate people that these creatures are not simply blood thirsty predators who destroy everything in their path.Then someone *cough* looking at you Niffles *cough* had to go and let the Graphorn on the loose.Isn't that wonderful?





	Together We're Fantastic

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second contribution to Sterek Reverse Bang 2017 and I had so much fun writing it! The art was created by the incredible @mysparkyself and the story was beta'd by my dear friend deadly_nightshade. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

Stiles was amazed by the sight before him. The ship was finally arriving at the port and the view was simply breathtaking.

  
There were skyscrapers as far as the eye could see and despite the sun still rising the hustle and bustle of the city was already well on its way.

  
It was incredible, Stiles hasn’t even gotten off the ship and he’s already halfway in love with the big city.

  
Although he was born and raised in California it was in the small town of Beacon Hills, not in LA or any of the other big name cities people think of when envisioning living in Cali, so he never really experienced what it was like to live in such a populated area.

  
Even after he left to attend Hogwarts when he was 11 Stiles never experienced anything like this. In spite of Hogwarts being the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, it isn’t very big considering there were only about 250 students when Stiles was a first year.

  
Not that he regrets his decision to attend the prestigious school, his years in Hogwarts were some of the best years of his life. Sure, it was strange being one of the few American students in the school but it wasn’t that bad.

  
Stiles was even lucky enough to meet his best friend Scott, a young Scottish wizard who lives in Liverpool, England with his No-Maj mother, on his very first trip on the Hogwarts Express. Even after being placed in different houses - Scott becoming a proud Gryffindor and Stiles earning a spot on the Slytherin table – their friendship never faltered and they spent their Hogwarts years linked at the hip.

  
Now both 24 year olds don’t see each other as much due to Stiles’ constant traveling and Scott’s demanding job as an auror but they still come together for the holidays and birthday celebrations in Beacon Hills since Melissa moved to the small town to work as a nurse and get away from the magical world.

  
Stiles is sure there’s something going on between his dad and Melissa. People don’t just pack up and move to a different country simply to live in the boring town of Beacon Hills because ‘they wanted to get away from magic.’ Not that he’s complaining. The sooner those two get their act together the sooner he and Scott become legal brothers.  
Once the ship was finally docked and the passengers were allowed to disembark Stiles quickly grabbed his briefcase and exited the port.

  
When the young wizard arrived at the hotel he was staying at Stiles instantly put his briefcase on the bed and glanced at the mirror in the far side of the wall to make sure he still looked presentable before turning around to leave the room once more.

  
Stiles was just about to shut the door when he heard a very familiar thud. He sighed in exasperation as he opened the case only to see a little Niffler looking up at him innocently.

  
“Don’t give me that look Niffles you know bloody well why I can’t take you anywhere in public.”

  
The little creature whines before scurrying out of the briefcase and climbing up the young magizoologist until he’s comfily laying on Stiles’ shoulder cuddled up against his neck.

  
Stiles isn’t having any of it. “Oh no. Not going to work little buddy.” Stiles reaches up and places the Niffler back inside the briefcase. “You cause trouble everywhere you go and no amount of cuteness is going to change that. Do I need to remind you what happened last time I let you out?”

  
It’s a disaster whenever Niffles gets out of the case in a populated area. Stiles made that mistake way too many times to let it happen again.

  
The wizard always feels guilty that he can’t take his creatures out of the case most times, even more so when it’s a creature as harmless as Niffles, but he can’t risk putting his creatures in danger. One wrong move and the muggles will be running around like headless chickens at the sight of a Niffler rummaging through their purse or wallet.

  
Stiles already had to erase someone’s memory because they saw Niffles, he was lucky enough to have done it before the ministry found out but maybe next time he won’t be as lucky.

  
If the Ministry of Magic every found out that one of his creatures ‘endangered’ a muggle they’ll insist upon capturing them and ‘putting them to rest’ to ensure everyone’s safety. It’s a system that Stiles has been warned of many times and every time Niffles runs off his heart jumps out of his chest in panic.

  
He can’t risk having anymore slip ups. He can’t let anyone harm his creatures.

  
If keeping them safe means he has to deal with a sad Niffler for a while, then so be it.

  
“Sorry little guy, but you need to stay. I’ll see you soon Niffles, be good.” Stiles gives Niffles a gentle scratch on the head before closing the briefcase and leaving the room.

  
He only has 20 minutes before he’s scheduled to meet with Mr. Augustus to give his overview of what he’ll be covering in his presentation. Stiles can’t afford to be late.

  
All the sudden movement must has startled Sprout from his peaceful slumber because a moment later the little Bowtruckle was poking his head out of Stiles’ coat pocket to glare at the wizard.

  
Stiles smiles at him apologetically. “Sorry Sprout, I need to hurry or I’ll be late to the meeting.”

  
The Bowtruckle doesn’t look happy about it but goes back to curl up inside Stiles’ pocket. He doesn’t go back to sleep though, probably isn’t able to with all of Stiles’ moving around.

  
He’ll have to make it up to Sprout when the meeting is over. Maybe Stiles will give Sprout some extra wood lice for lunch.  
Stiles arrives in the nick of time for the meeting with only 2 minutes to spare.

  
“Ah, Mr. Stilinski,” the man sitting at the end of the table announced, “good to see you could make it. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show up.”

  
Stiles put on his most charming smile. “Don’t be absurd sir, I would never pass up this incredible opportunity. It’s an honor to be here.”

  
The smile Stiles received was a bit on the creepy side for his liking. “Nice to know you understand the favor I am doing for you Mr. Stilinski, please, have a seat.”

  
Stiles didn’t have to be told twice, he had to practically run for 5 blocks straight before he found a spot where no one could see him to apparate over here. He would have done it back in the hotel room but the window doesn’t have any curtains and he didn’t want to risk a No-Maj looking up at just the right time and go crazy because they just saw someone disappear.

  
The second the young wizard sat down Mr. Augustus started introducing the rest of the people sitting in the conference room. After being formally introduced to everyone the room grew quiet and Stiles was told to debrief them on what he’ll be covering in his presentation.

  
It was already agreed upon that Stiles would give a seminar on magical creatures within the hour he was allowed to use the lecture hall at Columbia University but they wanted his to explain what he would talk about specifically.

  
Stiles outlined his presentation to circle around the misunderstanding most wizards have of mythical creatures and try to explain why declaring these animals as dangerous monsters is the worst thing any young wizard or witch could possibly do.

  
These creatures aren’t mindless killers. They’re living beings that can feel emotions like fear and anger and love and joy. They can create family bonds and companionships with other creatures. They are intellectual animals that use their knowledge to survive and grow as a species.

  
In many ways they are much like people and shouldn’t be confined to this title of ‘beasts’ that the world has given them. It’s not right!

  
Stiles was just beginning to explain the part of the presentation where he’d be allowing a few select creatures to make an appearance when Mr. Augustus interrupted him. “What is that?” he announced, pointing at Stiles’ pocket with a slight sneer on his face.

  
The young wizard doesn’t like that look being directed at Sprout. “He’s a Bowtruckle, Mr. Augustus.”

  
The man raised an eyebrows at Stiles’ declaration. “You brought a creature in here?”

  
“Just a tiny one,” Stiles explained, “it’s not like he’d be able to hurt anyone.”

  
“It is against policy to bring a creature anywhere without explicit permission. Even then the creature is to be inside an authorized containment unit at all times.” Mr. Augustus said before glaring at the young wizard. “Even a tiny one.”

  
Stiles couldn’t help but scoff. “An ‘authorized containment unit’? That’s an awfully long way to say cage. Bowtruckles only attack when their home tree is threatened and even then it has to be the entire branch attacking at once to cause any real damage. Sprout is harmless.”

  
Mr. Augustus’ previously disapproving face turned into one of curiosity as he studied the magizoologist before him.

  
“I’ve heard many things about you Mr. Stilinski, including that you were kicked out of Hogwarts for endangering human life with a beast.” Mr. Augustus announced, his eyes calculating as they roam over Stiles’ face. “Yet, one of your teachers argued strongly against your expulsion. I wonder… what makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you?”

  
Stiles can’t help but grit his teeth at that. Everyone always gets the story wrong. He wasn’t kicked out of Hogwarts, he almost was, but he wasn’t. Professor Dumbledore made sure that didn’t happen and convinced Headmaster Dippet to give him a different punishment.

  
But it wasn’t that part that infuriated Stiles every time he heard the ‘story’ about what happened during his 7th and last year at Hogwarts, it was that they claimed that he ‘endangered human life’ with a beast. Literally none of that is true!

  
The so called ‘beast’ was Scott who got bitten by a rogue werewolf earlier that year and was still having trouble with his control and the ‘endangered human life’ was this Slytherin brat that thought a friendship between a Slytherin and Gryffindor was an abomination and decided he’d do everything in his power to make both of them miserable.

  
He’d been causing them trouble since they were 1st years but with his werewolf instincts added to the mix, Scott couldn’t keep his anger under wraps like he usually could.

  
Scott was struggling with not punching the guy’s face in all day and the werewolf finally snapped when the brat ‘accidentally’ tripped, dumping all of his food on Stiles’ robes.

Scott simply stood up and yelled at him but unfortunately the bloody heathen was close enough to see the slightest hint of fangs.

  
Then he ran to the head of Slytherin, who had always hated Stiles’ guts, and declared that he was attacked by the ‘monstrous’ werewolf. With the prejudice against werewolves and the hate that runs deep within both the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses, that was all everyone needed to be convinced that Scott was the only one at fault and should be condemned.

  
Everyone except Stiles. He had a few choice words to say about the way everyone treated werewolves as if they were somehow no better than a wild animal. Scott was no less human than he was before he was bitten and it infuriated Stiles to no end that he was the only one that seemed to realize that.

  
After that fiasco the entire school acted as if Scott was a disease or something. Like he could pounce on them at any time.

  
It was ridiculous.

  
Instead of correcting Mr. Augustus like he wanted to - _god_ did he want to - Stiles simply said, “Do not believe all you’ve been told Mr. Augustus. You never know whether they speak mere rumors or words of truth.”

  
The man smirks. “It appears you’ve learned to hold your tongue. If any of what I’ve heard about you is true that is.”

  
“I figured this opportunity was too great to lose over something as idiotic as a slip of the tongue. Now I’d like to continue my explanation if you’d allow it, there are still some key points to the presentation that are left to go over.”

  
Mr. Augustus nods and Stiles continues to speak about the general topics he’ll be covering during the presentation.

  
The man would glance at Stiles’ pocket as if to make sure that Sprout was ‘endangering’ anyone but as per usual Sprout was nothing short of perfectly well behaved. He even took a nap.

  
In the end everything went without a hitch and soon Stiles was ready to apparate back to the hotel room.

  
Mr. Augustus wasn’t what Stiles expected he would be given that the man owned practically all of the wildlife reserves for endangered magical creatures in Europe. Then again it’s not uncommon for people to simply do it for the money and not the actual cause. Still, Stiles was hoping to work with someone as interested in helping these misunderstood creatures as he was.

  
He really needs to stop getting his hopes up.

  
No matter, Stiles is still going to give a presentation about the truth behind magical creatures to thousands of wizards and witches so he isn’t going to complain.

  
Once he apparates back to the small hotel room Stiles is shocked at the horrid state of the room. There are books and clothing scattered on the floor, shards of glass littered around the cramped kitchen, and furniture completely flipped over. Not to mention the door was almost completely broken off.

  
Stiles’ mind went completely blank. What the bloody hell happened?!

  
It wasn’t until he saw a very timid looking Niffler peeking out from under the bed that it all clicked in the young wizard’s mind.

  
He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm himself before he could do anything he’d regret. “Niffles,” Stiles sighed, “what did you do?”

  
All the creature had to do was glance at the briefcase that was in the other side of the room for Stiles to know exactly what had happened.

  
Niffles managed to somehow get out of the briefcase from the inside and wasn’t able to close it back up again before another creature escaped. Stiles needs to get a new briefcase. One that’s fully Niffler proof this time.

  
Stiles muttered a soft cleaning charm before opening the case and searching every inch until he figures out which one of his creatures is missing. It can’t be anything too bad, the state of the room could have been caused by virtually any of his creatures since he never allows them to leave the case without his supervision.

  
The missing creature was probably a frightened Demiguise or a disoriented Fwooper. Nothing to be worried about.

  
It isn’t until a few minutes later that Stiles realizes how wrong he is. After checking and checking and checking even more, the only animal that Stiles can’t find anywhere is the Graphorn, specifically the male Graphorn.The only breeding male Graphorn in existence. The only breeding male Graphorn who just became a first time father last week.

  
Bloody hell.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Derek will never understand why Laura insists on them eating lunch together in her office, all she does is give him ‘advice’ - aka tell him to stop being a loner - as Derek ignores her and wonders why he can’t even eat his food in peace.

  
“I’m serious Derek, you need to go out and have fun. Go get drunk, go party, go buy a dog, go hook up with someone and have a hot one night stand, just go do _something_!” Laura exclaims while glaring at him in frustration, her lips pursed and nose flaring. “At the very least get off those suppressants. They screw up with your senses and how are you supposed to find a mate if you can’t tell if your scents are compatible?”

  
Derek doesn’t glace up at her as he says, “I’m not going off suppressants, they dull out my hearing and sense of smell which is what I _want_ them to do. Besides, I’m not interested in finding a mate.”

  
From the groan the alpha let out Derek knew she was ready to strangle him. “Derek, come on! You can’t keep doing this to yourself I know it’s hard to trust people after what happened with Kate but you can’t just keep shutting yourself out like this, werewolves are tactile you know.”

  
The beta finally looks at Laura, glaring as hard as he possibly can to convey how much he wants to snap his fangs at her.

  
“Can you shut up for one second?” Derek growls between clenched teeth, “What’s the point of keeping our status a secret if you’re going to be blabbering about it all day? Do you _want_ someone to hear you?”

  
Laura rolls her eyes. “Please tell me you don’t think I’m that stupid? I charmed the room to make it completely sound proof you idiot.”

  
Derek keeps glaring at her but his shoulders relax slightly at the words. “I can never be too sure with you.”

  
“You make it sound like I haven’t been an alpha for 10 years.”

  
The younger werewolf lowered his head in shame. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since everything happened, 10 years since _Kate_ happened.

  
Laura had only been 19 when the fire happened and she was given the responsibility to take care of her 16 year old brother and 8 year old little sister.

  
Derek still hasn’t been able to get over the guilt he felt whenever he was reminded of what his idiocy caused. Laura may be all bright smiles and endless energy but she is not the same carefree older sister that Derek grew up with.

  
The moment the fire happened she changed, mellowed out, become more mature.

  
Derek changed too. Instead of being the same cheeky, light hearted, charismatic jokester that he always was Derek became an untrusting, distant, ice cold loner.

  
Even Cora changed after the fire. She became cynical and easily angered; a complete contrast to the cheerful little girl that had a vivid imagination and loved to make people smile.

  
It’s like they all turned into different people after what happened all those years ago.

  
All because Derek fell in love with the first pretty face that showed an interest in him.

  
As if reading his mind Laura speaks up again and says, “Hey, stop blaming yourself, none of what happened was your fault. It’s Kate’s. Only Kate’s. How many times do I have to tell you for you to believe it?”

  
“As many as you’d like,” Derek answered, “it won’t make me think any differently.”

  
Laura sighs and looks like she’s preparing to give him another ‘it’s not your fault’ speeches when the door to her office suddenly bursts open.

  
Both Hales immediately turn their heads at the sound to find the guy that interrupted them flailing around in a poor attempt to keep his balance.

  
What did he even trip over? There’s nothing around him but air and the floor!

  
Before either of the werewolves had a chance to ask what the hell is going on, the guy speaks up. “Sorry for the intrusion but I really need your help. My name is Stiles Stilinski, magizoologist, and I’ve come to New York to give a presentation on magical creatures.”

  
“And what is it you require our help in, Mr. Stilinski?” Laura inquires in an authoritative yet curious voice.

  
“Well, you see, it appears that one of my creatures has um… escaped.”

  
Derek rises to his feet. “ _What_?” he growls, just barely able to keep his teeth from elongating.

  
“Oh hush Der, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” Laura says before turning her attention back to the idiot who let a creature escape, “What creature was it that escaped? A Niffler? A Bowtruckle? A Mooncalf?”

  
The wizard before them took a deep breath before saying, “A Graphorn.”

  
The room falls silent. Judging by Laura’s calculating face the beta can tell that the older werewolf is planning out the best course of action.

  
With a firm nod and her eyes showing nothing but determination she finally speaks, “Alright, we’ll need a group of about dozen aurors to search for the creature to try and find it as fast as possible with enough gear to put the Graphorn down upon sight.”

  
“What?!” Stiles exclaimed, “No! No, no, no, no, no, that is _not_ an option. Graphorns are almost extinct, the only two breeding Graphorns in existence are under my care and this particular Graphorn who is currently on the loose just become a father! If you kill him it’ll mean the end of the Graphorn species as a whole!”

  
Derek glares at him. “Then you should have thought of that before you let it escape. That Graphorn is a danger to society and could mean the exposure of wizard kind if a No-Maj catches sight of it. Killing it is the only option.”

  
What is wrong with this guy? He loses a freaking Graphorn in New York City and then tells them not to kill the beast? This isn’t a freaking charity case, people’s lives are at risk! The beast needs to be put down and that’s that.

  
Not even Laura would agree to helping with this.

  
“If a No-Maj sees him then we erase their memory, it’s not that hard! Killing it isn’t the only option, it’s just the most convenient. I came over here for help because my research tells me that Ms. Hale is one of the most compassionate members in the Ministry of Magic and if anyone was going to help me on this it would be her.” Stiles looks both of them in the eye, glare set on his face, “I guess I was wrong.”

  
Then he’s turning towards the office door and making his leave.

  
Derek huffs, good reddens.

  
“Wait.” What? What is Laura doing? He was just about to leave! “We’ll help you.”

  
In an instant the young wizard was facing them again, his expression calculating yet hopeful. “Really? You’ll help? Without hurting him?”

  
Laura gave him a kind smile, “Yes, Mr. Stilinski, without hurting him.” she reassures, “However, that means we’ll has to do this behind the backs of our higher ups, this is greatly against policy. So, new plan, instead of a troupe of aurors armed with numerous weapons you’ll have Derek help you search for your missing Graphorn.”

  
“What.” Derek said while snapping his head to glare at the alpha. She was smirking. That’s never a good sign.

  
“He’s our best field agent.” Laura states, “It might take more time than it would if we had a group of aurors but if we’re going to do this without anyone finding out it’s best to keep everything to a minimum.”

  
And just like that Laura had officially roped him into helping this guy find a bloody Graphorn in New York City.

  
Well, joke’s on them because there is no way in hell that Derek is going to help with something this idiotic. Laura may be his alpha but she will not force Derek to do something so reckless.  
This could cost him his job if he gets caught.

  
Yeah, there’s no way Derek is actually going to help this guy.

  
The beta grabs his half eaten lunch and exits his sister’s office and Laura and Stiles continue talking about how Derek is going to help. The werewolf can’t help but mentally scoff, as if.  
He wasn’t expecting the guy to run after him and get in the empty elevator with Derek.

  
“Hey, so uh, I just wanted to thank you for helping me out with this. It means a lot.”

  
Derek turns and stares at the other wizard blankly. “I’m not helping you.”

  
“What? But you agreed-”

  
“No,” Derek interrupts, “ _Laura_ agreed and if you haven’t noticed, I’m not Laura.”

  
Stiles’ eyes narrow as he crosses his arms over his chest, irritation rolling off of him in waves. “Well why not? She didn’t seem too opposed to the idea so why are you so against helping me?”

  
This guy can’t be serious, he must know how crazy this all is right?

  
“Because this is completely ludicrous! A Graphorn, a bloody _Graphorn_ , is on the loose and you want us not to kill it? Do you have any idea how dangerous those creatures are? What if it attacks someone? What if it hurts a No-Maj? Hell, what if it _kills_ a No-Maj? The best course of action is to put that beast down. It’s a killer, it’s what they do.”

  
Stiles glares at him, his anger abundantly obvious by his expression alone. “I can’t believe this, here I thought I’d finally found someone willing to help me only for you to turn out to be just like everyone else. These creatures aren’t monsters with the sole purpose to kill and destroy, they’re gentle beings with feelings and personalities.” Stiles fumes, “They may be predators, but they’re not killers.”

  
Derek is stunned into silence at the young wizard’s words. His mother once uttered those same words to him. When the incident with Paige made his eyes turn blue.

  
The beta has always clung to those words, held onto them like a lifeline after the fire. It took him years to find the truth behind them, years for him to stop seeing himself as the monster society claims he is.

  
The elevator doors open and Stiles marches out without sparing him a single glance.

  
“Wait,” Derek says, already regretting the words as Stiles turns to face him with a lifted eyebrow.

  
Taking a deep breath Derek steels his resolve and begrudgingly mutters the words, “I’ll help you.”

  
The dazzling smile the younger wizard gives him does _not_ make his face heat up. Not one bit.

  
“Great!” Stiles exclaims. “We should start our search as soon as possible but I’m guessing you have to keep working here as per usual to avoid any suspicion so I’ll just be going and get a head start on everything and I’ll meet up with you here once you’re done?”

  
Derek looks at him like he just grew two heads. “Are you trying to tell the entire ministry about our little ‘search’? Have you forgotten this is completely against protocol and that I can lose my job if anyone finds out about this?”

  
Stiles rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, I cast the muffliato spell before going after you so no one can hear our conversation.”

  
“Oh.”

  
The young wizard smiles at him once more before saying, “So, I’ll meet you outside when you’re done?”

  
Derek nods. “My shift ends at 8.”

  
“Wonderful, see you tonight.” Stiles states before turning on his heels and exiting the building.

  
Derek sighs as he heads back to his office. Why does he always get dragged into these situations?

 

* * *

 

  
After hours of searching endlessly for the missing Graphorn, Stiles made his way back to the front of the large office building where he said he’d wait for the other wizard.

  
Graphorns are found in mountainous European regions so Stiles made sure to locate all the places in New York City that resembled natural landscapes similar to the ones Graphorns are normally found in.

  
There weren’t many options but even after search as rigorously as he could for hours Stiles was yet to find the missing creature.

  
The wizard figured he’d get some coffee to lift his spirits as well as give him some extra energy for the nightly search he is undoubtedly about to endure with Agent Murder Brows. Along with an additional cup just in case the grumpy wizard wanted some.

  
Maybe the sugar filled drink will help make the other wizard’s face less sour.

  
Once Stiles is standing in front of the Woolworth Building where he and Mr. Scowls agreed to meet up he takes his time enjoying his coffee waiting for the other wizard to step through the front doors.

  
Luckily he doesn’t have to wait long as Derek immerged from the large double doors just moments later with a chattering Laura walking beside him.

  
A smile plastered itself on her face once she caught sight of Stiles. “Is that coffee I see Mr. Stilinski?”

  
“Yes it is,” Stiles answered cheerfully, “and please, call me Stiles.”

  
“Well Stiles, I think it’s time we properly introduce ourselves. I’m Laura and this big grump is my little brother Derek. Now that that’s out of the way, I’m really hoping that coffee is for me.”

  
The magizoologist scratches his head sheepishly. “Uh, I actually got this for Derek since we’ll probably spend most of the night searching for my creature. If I would have known that you were coming along too I would have gotten you a cup as well.”

  
Laura pouted but waved off the young wizard’s concern. “No need to worry, I was going to head home now anyway. You two have fun!”

  
Derek rolled his eyes at his sister. “This is a mission, we’re not supposed to have fun.”

  
“Not with that attitude.” Laura states before turning on her heels and walking home.

  
Stiles hands Derek his cup of coffee and without even taking a sip instantly scowls. “What is this?”

  
“Coffee.”

  
The older wizard glares at the cup in his hands. “This isn’t coffee, there is so much sugar in this that it can qualify for a dessert.”

  
Stiles gives him a cheeky smile. “Who says coffee can’t be both?”

  
“The laws of the universe.” Derek says, his face completely serious.

  
Stiles tries to hold in his laughter but ultimately fails, it’s just so strange seeing someone like Derek get offended at the thought of drinking coffee with sugar. It’s kind of cute actually.

  
Despite his strong opinions about sugar being mixed in with coffee, Derek finished the cup relatively quickly and didn’t complain after his initial declaration of wanting coffee not dessert.  
Stiles knew he had a sweet tooth. Anyone who’s that scary looking is in need of some sugar in their life.

  
The magizoologist informs Derek of the natural habitats of Graphorns in hopes of the other wizard knowing an area with similar characteristics that Stiles wasn’t aware of.

  
Stiles did to his to search in places where the creature could be hidden while Derek was still working but his lack of knowledge on New York City was quite the hindrance.

  
The older wizard had some suggestions that Stiles hadn’t checked but after searching for countless hours with no sign of the missing Graphorn, they eventually decided to call it a night.

  
“Where are you staying?” Derek asked.

  
“A place called Azure Hotel on the other side of town.”

  
Derek scowled, glaring at the ground as if it offended him. “That’s in one of the worst neighborhoods in New York.”

  
Stiles shrugged. He didn’t really mind if it was a bad neighborhood. As long as he had a bed to sleep on and a place to keep his creatures he didn’t care for much else.

  
The other wizard didn’t seem as pleased. After a few minutes of walking in silence Derek spoke up again.

  
“Would you… would you like to stay the night at my house?” Derek muttered, looking at everything but Stiles.

  
Stiles blinked. He certainly wasn’t expecting that.

  
It seems he was quiet for too long though because a second later Derek was speaking again. “We have an extra room you could sleep in. It’s only me, Laura, and my younger sister Cora living there so we have plenty of space.”

  
Huh, alright then.

  
“Well I’d hate to be a bother but if you’re sure-”

  
“I’m sure.” Derek confirmed.

  
Stiles felt himself smile slightly before saying, “In that case, I’d be delighted.”

  
They kept walking quietly after that, and despite Derek’s best efforts to keep his face neutral, Stiles saw his lips lift into a smile firm the corner of his eye.

  
Looks like Stiles’ hypothesis was correct. The sugary coffee did make his face less sour.

 

* * *

 

  
Derek doesn’t know what got into him when he asked Stiles to stay the night at his house. It shouldn’t matter whether or not the younger wizard is staying in a hotel in one of the most dangerous places in New York but for some reason Derek can’t help but feel like he can’t let that happen.

  
Once Derek opened the door to the apartment he was greeted by Laura’s all too cheerful smile.

  
“Welcome back baby brother.” She announced before turning her attention to Stiles, “Hello again Stiles, fancy seeing you here. What brings you to our humble home if you don’t mind me asking?”  
“Derek asked if I wanted to stay here for the night and I said yes.”

  
Laura raised an eyebrow before giving Derek a sly look. “I see.” She said, “Well I hope you enjoy your stay, we have an empty room at the end of the hallway that you can sleep in. Are you hungry? You’re probably hungry, it’s nearly 4 in the morning.”

  
Stiles shook his head, gently declining her offer. “That’s really not necessary Laura, I’m not even that hungry. I’ll just go to sleep.”

  
“Nonsense,” she dismissed, “you go ahead and get ready for bed while I go make you something real quick.”

  
The magizoologist still seemed hesitant but went over to the indicated room without any more prompting, leaving Derek and Laura alone in the living room.  
Oh no.

  
“So,” Laura said with a smirk, “you invited Stiles to stay the night.”

  
The beta glared. “It’s not what you think.”

  
Laura didn’t look the least bit convinced but she kept quiet and made her way to the kitchen to make Stiles something to eat.

  
Derek sighed once he accepted that Laura will never let him live this down before he started walking towards the room Stiles will be sleeping in.

  
When he opens the door he’s surprised by the sight of Stiles’ head sticking out from his briefcase. That’s not something you see every day.

  
“Um, what are you doing?” Derek inquired, genuinely curious as to what was going on.

  
Stiles’ head turns to look at him. “I’m going inside my enchanted briefcase, obviously. Want to join me?”

  
As much as Derek wants to say no his curiosity gets the better of him and just a few minutes later both he and Stiles reach the bottom of the briefcase.

  
What he sees leaves him speechless. It looks as if he just teleported to an extremely well kept wildlife preserve filled with numerous habitats to match the animal’s natural environment.

  
“This is incredible.” Derek says, completely awestruck.

  
The magizoologist visibly preens at the words before speaking up. “Come on, follow me.”

  
Stiles leads him to a large tree with little leaf like creatures scattered all around its branches. They all glance over at Stiles’ direction but go back to whatever they were doing a moment later.

  
The young wizard then pulls something out of his coat pocket and Derek is stunned to realize that there was a little green leafed creature in Stiles’ pocket this whole time. He hadn’t even been aware of the tiny creature’s scent.

  
Derek knows the suppressants dull out he senses but he hadn’t thought they watered it down that much. Stiles had been by his side the entire night and not once had the werewolf been aware of the small being.

  
“What are they?”

  
“These little guys are called Bowtruckles. Bowtruckles are tree guardians to their home tree, they are generally peaceful creatures but they will become violent if anything threatens their tree. A group of Bowtruckles, like the one you see here, is called a branch and they can usually be found in western England, southern Germany, and certain Scandinavian forests.”

  
Derek absorbs the new information. He hadn’t known that creatures like this existed, let alone that one was tucked away in Stiles’ pocket this entire time.

  
Maybe he should stop using the suppressants after all.

  
“Alright off you go Sprout,” he said while holding the Bowtruckle near the tree, “Come on Sprout. Don’t be ridiculous they’re not going to bully you.”

  
The small creature hung onto Stiles’ finger and refused to let go until the wizard finally gave up with a sigh. “This is why the others accuse me of favoritism.”

  
Stiles then scooped the tiny being up and placed him on his shoulder.

  
The werewolf couldn’t help but chuckle at the interaction, “What was that?”

  
“Sprout has attachment issues. He’s hardly ever off my person.” He explains, throwing a glare at Sprout’s direction. There’s not heat in his gaze though and Derek takes the time to appreciate what Stiles does with these creatures. The magizoologist really does care for all of them immensely.

  
A sharp cry interrupts Derek’s thoughts and he turns his head to see Stiles making his way towards a nest of serpent like creatures with feathers.

  
“Hey, how are my beautiful Occamies doing?” Stiles coos while crouching down in front of the nest. “Sorry I was away for so long, you all must be starving.”

  
Then the wizard starts feeding them what Derek believes to be dead insects.

  
“Hey Derek?” Stiles says from where he is still feeding the baby Occamies.

  
“Hmm?”

  
“Can you feed the Mooncalves please? These Occamies are only a few days old and need a lot of attention. Their mother was killed by poachers when they were still eggs so I’m their primary caregiver.”

  
“Oh, uh, y-yes of course.” Derek stuttered. “Um. Which ones are the Mooncalves?”

  
The other wizard chuckled. “Wow, you didn’t pay much attention in Care for Magical Creatures did you?”

  
“I didn’t think it was important at the time.” Derek confessed sheepishly.

  
“Mooncalves have huge bulgy eyes with four long legs and flat feet, should reach to around your hip. Plus they only leave their burrows during the full moon, which is why they’re called Mooncalves, so just look behind you and you’ll see them.”

  
The beta turns and, just as Stiles said, he finds numerous creatures looking at him from a small hill.

  
Oh.

  
Stiles puts the food in the palm of his hand before returning his attention to the baby Occamies. Derek walks the short distant towards the Mooncalves and although the creatures seem reluctant to approach him at first, once he starts distributing the food Derek is suddenly surrounded by hungry Mooncalves.

  
Despite them being pretty weird looking the werewolf is surprised to find himself captivated by these unique creatures. They’re actually kind of cute.

  
After they were all fed some of the Mooncalves continued to stay by Derek’s side and the beta let himself indulge in petting their soft fur. The Mooncalves seemed to be enjoying it too if they way they nuzzled Derek’s hands is any indication.

  
He continues to pet them until he glances up to see Stiles staring at him like he can’t believe his eyes.

  
“What?” Derek growls.

  
The magizoologist raises both his hands up in surrender. “Nothing, nothing, I just didn’t expect to see you excitedly petting the Mooncalves like that.”

  
Derek grumbled and begrudgingly stepped away from the cluster of Mooncalves that surrounded him in order to follow Stiles who was walking over to feed the other magical creatures.

  
This enchanted suitcase might seem pretty straight forward but there isn’t a doubt in the werewolf’s mind that if he lost sight of Stiles he wouldn’t be able to find his way out of here anytime soon.

  
When Derek finally catches up to the younger wizard he’s shocked into complete silence by the sight before him. Stiles is gently petting a Thunderbird’s head. He is _petting_ a _Thunderbird_ on the _head_. How is this possible?!

  
The giant creature is perched on a large rock, golden feathers glistening in the light as its head softly presses against the magizoologist’s hand.

  
Derek has no words for this.

  
Stiles must have noticed Derek’s surprise because the young wizard chuckles softly and says, “Yeah, he’s not the scary beast most people make him out to be. I actually found him in an illegal auction in Brazil, all chained up and beaten. I’m hoping to release him back into the wilds of Arizona in a few months once he’s fully restored his strength.”

  
With one last gentle pat on the head the Thunderbird spreads its massive wings and ascends to the never ending skies. Derek needs a second to get his heartbeat back to normal.

  
Then Stiles starts doing this strange honk of sorts and Derek is _not_ ready to meet the creature that creates those booming footsteps.

  
The younger wizard doesn’t seem to share Derek’s obvious apprehension as he smiles brightly and says, “They’re coming.”

  
“What’s coming?” Okay, that’s it. Derek is going off the suppressants right now. It’s almost like his senses are nonexistent!

  
“Graphorns.” Stiles replies.

  
Bloody hell.

  
A moment later Derek sees the monstrous creature galloping over to them and is suddenly overwhelmed by the instinct to run away. The only thing keeping him from fleeing is how completely relaxed Stiles is, not a single bit of tension anywhere in sight.

  
The large beast slows until coming to a complete stop in front of Stiles and the wizard steps forward to greet it. “Hey pretty girl, miss me?”

  
The beast lets out a soft grumble before caressing Stiles’ face with the tentacle like appendages that make up its mouth.

  
“Aw, I missed you too.”

  
Derek is once again left astonished by the obvious show affection. Well, maybe not so obvious sign of affection but he did do some research during work on Graphorns in order to be better prepared to capture it so Derek knows what he’s talking about. At least, he hoped he did.

  
“So, you just… rescue these creatures?” Derek asked.

  
He’d never really met a magizoologist before so he’s not sure what the profession actually entails. Do all magizoologists do this or is this a Stiles thing?

  
“Yeah,” Stiles responds as he steps away from the small Graphorn family, “rescue, nurture, and protect them. Plus attempt to educate fellow wizards about them. Surprisingly it’s the educating that I find most troubling.”

  
“Really? Why is that?” Derek inquires, genuinely confused considering this man takes care of magical creatures like _Thunderbirds_ and _Graphorns_ for a living as if it was nothing.

  
Stiles snorts. “Is that a serious question? Have you forgotten the way you reacted just this afternoon when you heard me said I _didn’t_ want you to kill Mephisto?”

  
“Mephisto? You mean the Graphorn that escaped? You named it?”

  
“Well you didn’t seem to find it odd that I named Sprout and he’s a Bowtruckle.”

  
Derek scowled. “That’s different.”

  
“It really isn’t.” Stiles stated. “Bowtruckles and Graphorns have many differences but why should one be named and not the other? Besides it makes feeding time easier.”

  
The werewolf opens his mouth to say something, what exactly that is he has no clue, but something nonetheless when a very familiar voice resonated through the air.

  
“Look what I found snooping around Cora’s room at 5 a.m.” Laura announced with a platypus looking creature in her arms.

  
“It was trying to steal my No-Maj coin collection.” Cora stated while throwing a glare at the small creature. “And then it tried to steal my pendant while I was sleeping.”

  
Stiles groaned. “Niffles we’ve talked about this. You can’t keep leaving the suitcase in order to find shiny things or else I have no choice but to contain you and that’s the last thing I want to do.”

  
The Niffler whines and runs over to Stiles in order to press himself against the wizard’s leg in what Derek can only imagine to be an apology.

  
Stiles sighs before he picks up the small creature and it’s then that Derek sees how exhausted the young scholar really is.

  
He realizes that Stiles must have been wishing for sleep for longer than even he has. The wizard came to New York in a ship which must have docked on the port in the early hours of the morning and has been searching high and low for a missing Graphorn for practically the entire day. Luckily Derek has the day off tomorrow so their search can start a lot earlier but Stiles still needs to rest before going on another long search.

  
“We should all get to bed,” Derek says, “it’s so late it’s early.”

  
Everyone is too tired to disagree and within a few moments all 4 of them are out of the briefcase and on their way to bed for some much needed sleep.

  
The werewolves all say their good nights to Stiles before exiting the room and walking to their own designated rooms. Derek is just about to open the door to his room when he remembers something.  
“Uh, Laura?”

  
“Hmm?”

  
Derek takes a deep breath before continuing. He can do this. “How long do you think it’ll take for my senses to go back to normal if I don’t take my suppressants tomorrow?”

  
Laura’s tired face instantly becomes brightens. “Probably in 2 to 3 days,” she informs, “why? You didn’t seem too fond of the idea when I suggested it earlier today. Did something change your mind?” Laura asks, a sly smirk gracing her features.

  
It’s not hard to guess what she meant by ‘something’ and Derek wasn’t having it.

  
“It’s not what you think.” Derek said with a tired sigh. “I know you want me to ‘find love’ and all that Lar but like I’ve said before, I’m done with that. Every time I’ve ever dated someone it lead to disaster. You know what they say, 3 strikes you’re out. I have 3 strikes already Laura… I’m out.”

  
Derek opens the door to his room and goes to walk inside but Laura grabs his hand before he can shut the door. “Derek listen. Kate, Jennifer, and Braeden? They all ended badly because they all had one thing in common.”

  
“They were all crazy psychopaths that wanted to kill me?” Derek deadpanned.

  
Laura rolled her eyes. “ _Besides_ that.”

  
The beta sighed tiredly, realizing Laura won’t stop until he humors her. “I don’t know, what?”

  
“They were all _takers_ Der. You need a _giver_.”

  
It wasn’t rocket science to figure out who his sister was talking about. “It’s not him Laura.”

  
“How would you know? It’s not like you have your senses to help determine whether he’s compatible or not.”

  
“Because I _know_ Lar!” Derek yelled. “Look, I see what you’re doing and I appreciate it, really I do, but just leave it alone. He isn’t my mate.”

  
No matter how much Derek was started to wish he was.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Derek and Stiles have no luck finding the missing Graphorn the next day.

  
Or the next day.

  
On the third day Stiles officially in panic mode. They should have found him by now, it’s not like it’s easy to completely lose sight of a giant Graphorn.

  
Yet somehow Stiles wakes up on day number 3 and realizes that not only has Mephisto been missing for 3 days but that today Stiles won’t even be able to look for him because he has to give his presentation about magical creatures today.

  
Which means Derek will be searching for Graphorn on his own and Mephisto is does not take kindly to strangers. Plus Stiles is going to need to take his suitcase with him to the university because he will be using some of his less intimidating creatures as demonstrations.

  
How lovely.

  
Once he’s dressed and makes his way to the kitchen Stiles is greeted by the now familiar sight of Derek cooking breakfast for everyone.

  
The magizoologist still can’t comprehend the generosity that the Hales have shown him and is particularly awestruck in moments like these.

  
Who would have thought that Derek Hale, aka Mr. Grumpy McScowls, would wake up an hour earlier than everyone else simply to make breakfast?

  
Preposterous right?

  
“Good morning big guy.” Stiles greets.

  
Derek doesn’t look back at him but he can practically feel the other wizard rolling his eyes at him. “Morning Stiles.”

  
It didn’t take long for the kitchen to become fully occupied, Laura and Cora usually came down the second the food looked about moments away from being ready.

  
After everyone finished eating Stiles was anxiously fidgeting and doing everything he possibly could to get his mind off the fact that Mephisto is still missing and he has to give a presentation when one of his creatures could be in danger.

  
Every minute he is gone is another minute that someone else could find him before they do and do _so many_ unspeakable things that Stiles refuses to think about.

  
“You’ll be fine,” Derek reassures, “we’re going to find him soon.”

  
“But what if something happens and I’m not around to help you and-”

  
“How about I send an agent with you? A have a friend of mine that is an excellent in undercover work, she’ll blend in as a part of the audience listening to your presentation and if I need help I’ll alarm her and she’ll give you a signal.”

  
Stiles takes a few deep breaths to calm his steadily racing heart. He’s so nervous. “Yeah, yeah that… that’d make me feel a lot better, thanks.”

  
Laura comes over to them and slings her arm around the younger wizard. “Stop worrying about it, just focus on your presentation and push everything about the missing Graphorn to the back of your mind until the end of the speech.”

  
With that Stiles straightens and apparats to the lecture hall where he’ll be giving his presentation.

  
He really hopes everything goes well on Derek’s end, because he’s so anxious he feels like throwing up.

  
Despite having to icy sensation of fear set in the pit of his stomach throughout the entire presentation, everything goes according to plan.

  
He covered all his points, reinstated all his facts, showcased a few magical creatures to the audience, and overall did everything in his power to educate his fellow wizards about these misunderstood creatures in the hour timespan that he was given.

  
In all honesty Stiles was just relieved it was all over and he could go back to finding his missing creature. Derek said that the agent he sent out would have given him a signal Stiles couldn’t have possibly misses and since Stiles didn’t see anything he’d consider a signal coming from any member of the audience he figured that meant Derek hadn’t run into any trouble.

  
At least that’s one less thing to worry about.

  
Stiles gathering his things and about to apparate back to where Derek was currently looking for Mephisto when Niffles popped out of the suitcase and sprinted into the corridors.  
Oh god not again.

  
Stiles raced after him.

  
Unlike every other time Niffles has escaped from Stiles’ briefcase the little creature didn’t seem to be going after something in particular, he simply ran through the halls with seeming no idea to where he was headed.

  
The Niffler didn’t stop until he was standing in front of what seemed to be a door to a storage room but something about the way Niffles was acting was off.  
He was jumping up and down in an attempt to open the locked chamber and that was simply not how the small creature behaved normally.

  
He wouldn’t excerpt this much effort to open a door unless it was the door to a jewelry store. Which this is certainly not.

  
Stiles casts the alohomora spell under his breath and opens the newly unlocked door.

  
What he sees inside leaves him absolutely horrified.

  
In the middle of the vacant room, Mephisto was caged and enchained, hardly able to go two steps without bumping into the metal bars.

  
Stiles ran to the creature and instantly did everything in his power to get him out of that damned containment unit but no matter what spell he used he couldn’t get the stupid thing to open.

  
“It’s okay boy, I’ll get you out of here I promise.” Stiles reassured as he softly ran his hands over the gentle giant’s aching body.

  
The chains were so tight that the creature wasn’t even able to lay down. The sight broke his heart. “What monster could have done this to you?”

  
“Now Mr. Stilinski, don’t you think monster is too strong a word?”

  
Stiles turns to look at none other than Mr. Augustus staring back at him.

  
What? He did this? But why? It makes no sense!

  
Despite all the questions swirling around in his head, the young wizard made sure to have his wand at the ready. “Why?” Stiles questioned, “Why would you do this? What do you gain from this?”  
“Nothing significant. A couple million dollars is all. Well, that and the satisfaction of knowing that I ruined the great Stiles Stilinski’s career and reputation.”

  
“What are you talking about?” Stiles spat.

  
Mr. Augustus made a show and adjusting his gloves before explaining. Stupid prat. “You see, you’re quiet the talk around the industry you know. Everyone always has something wonderful to say about Mr. Stilinski and his deep love and compassion for his creatures. It never affected me so I never cared much for it but then slowly but surely my clients were dwindling away to invest their wealth on ‘rehabilitators’ such as yourself, the ‘catch and release’ hippies. My business is nearly completely bankrupt because of you.”

  
Stiles caught something with the corner of his eye and instantly knew what he had to do. “And what exactly are you going to do about it? If people want to invest their money into releasing these creatures back into the wild it’s not like capturing a Graphorn is going to stop them.”

  
“You’re right, it’s not. But destroying your reputation might.” the man stated. “You see, you’re the poster child for this new ‘catch and release’ way of thinking. If the entire wizarding community realizes that the man they’ve been seeing as the little golden boy for all things creature lover is really just an irresponsible child who lets something as dangerous as a Graphorn on the loose, the whole rehabilitation trend will finally understand how stupid it is to let these beasts run wild and go back to funding companies like mind.”

  
Stiles scoffs. “So that’s all it is? Money?”

  
“Oh Mr. Stilinski, of course it’s not just money.” Mr. Augustus said. “It’s business.”

  
The wizard feels like he’s going to explode. He hates people like this. People who couldn’t care less about the animals put in their care and only see profit.  
“You won’t get away with this.”

  
The man gives him a sadistic smile. “Really? I think I already have.”

  
“Actually, no you haven’t.”

  
The man spins back to see no less than a dozen agents from the Ministry of Magic with wands pointed at him.

  
The same voice, coming from a petite women with curly blonde hair, speaks up again. “I think we all heard your confession loud and clear. Good thing you won’t have to worry about your business anymore.”

  
Two agents cuff Mr. Augustus and escort him out while the aurors go free Mephisto.

  
Stiles is grateful he saw the blonde agent when he did, he was about to start blasting curses at the bloody lowlife.

  
“Hey there,” the blonde agent said with a mock salute, “I’m Erica Reyes, the one Derek sent out to go undercover. Nice presentation by the way.”

  
“Oh, uh, thank you.” Stiles responded while shacking her outstretched hand. “Stiles Stilinski, but I’m pretty sure you knew that.”

  
“Yes, I did.” Erica confirmed. “Derek’s talks about you all the time.”

  
Wait, what? Stiles was referring to her being present for his speech and also hearing all the time that snot bucket said his name, he wasn’t talking about how much Derek talks about him.

  
Hold on, Derek _talks_ about him?

  
Before Stiles has a chance to ask what she meant by that, she couldn’t have seriously meant what Stiles thought she meant right? Derek walks over to them.

  
“Stiles you alright?” the wizard asked, eyes scanning every inch of Stiles’ body as if to make sure everything was okay.

  
Stiles rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, he didn’t even fire a single curse at me. I’m rather disappointed actually, Defense against the Dark Arts was always one of my favorite classes.”

  
Erica clapped her hands together, getting both their attentions. “Well I’m off to do the case report, you two have fun now!”

  
Then she practically skipped over to another agent, a large man with dark skin, and easily pressed up against his side.

  
Derek sighed. “That’s Erica, she’s a bit of an acquired taste but she’s not as crazy as people make her out to be. That’s her boyfriend Boyd and he’s basically the opposite of her but it somehow works for them.”

  
“Ah, that explains it.” Stiles comments. “I wasn’t sure whether there was something there or she was using her veela abilities.”

  
Derek turns to look at him with wide eyes. “How did you know she was a veela?”

  
“Well she has an alluring aura but I wouldn’t consider her a full veela, she’s probably just half veela.”

  
The other wizard stares at him like Stiles just grew a second head.

  
“What?”

  
Derek seems to shake himself out of it before muttering something under his breath.

  
When he looks back at Stiles the magizoologist is surprised to find both determination and fear embedded in those gorgeous technicolored eyes.

  
“So, I know that you feel very strongly about the negative way magical creatures are perceived but what… how do you feel about other creatures? Like veelas, and vampires, and werewolves?”

  
Stiles is so lost. “I think they’re fine?”

  
Derek scowls. “Really? They’re fine? Just like that? You don’t think they’re dangerous or unpredictable?”

  
The younger wizard shrugs. “I think they’re as dangerous and unpredictable as any ordinary wizard. My best friend Scott is was turned into a werewolf but he’s still as dangerous as a marshmallow.”

  
The agent blinks. “That’s it? You’re basing your entire ideology on werewolves based on your friend?”

  
“Not _just_ my friend. You and your sisters are great too.”

  
Is Derek was surprised when Stiles figured out Erica was part veela the magizoologist has no idea what the in the world would describe the look Derek was giving him now. “You… y-you _knew_? But how?!”

  
“Your mannerisms.” Stiles answered.

  
“My… mannerisms.”

  
Stiles nodded. “Yeah. Your nose scrunches up whenever a strong scent passed by use that I could hardly smell, your head tilts slightly to the side when you hear something, and as we spent more time together your hand started twitching slightly as if you were stopping yourself from touching me.”

  
Derek doesn’t say anything for a while he just stares at Stiles’ face like he’s trying to figure out a complex puzzle.

 

It seems like he was taking too long before eventually Erica shouted “Just kiss already you nitwits!”

  
They didn’t. At least, not until their first date. Which was also when Laura hit Derek upside the head for taking too long in ‘wooing his mate’ Stiles didn’t stop laughing for 5 minutes straight.

  
He ended up loving New York more than he did on that very first day on the ship.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! Don't forget to comment :)


End file.
